Alumni Profile: Sven Jungmann
20 September 2022 London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine https://lshtm.ac.uk/themes/custom/lshtm/images/lshtm-logo-black.png
Current job title and organisation
CEO and Co-Founder of Halitus
What course and year did you study at LSHTM?
MSc Public Health (Environment & Health) via Distance Learning
Can you please tell us a bit about your current work/research?
We’re building a portable device with which we aim to detect diseases in exhaled breath in under one minute.
Why did you choose to study with LSHTM?
What usually attracts people to an institution like LSHTM is, of course, its shiny brand and the renowned individuals that are associated with it. In my case, it was also the strategic focus of the School and the fact that LSHTM was a leader in flexible distance learning programmes when this mode of learning was still in its infancy.
Did you have to overcome any challenges to study with us?
I studied at LSHTM in parallel to my medical studies. I was based in Germany, but did parts of my medical studies in France, Brazil, and New York — and I was travelling for additional projects and courses. This wasn’t always easy but LSHTM had partnering test centres everywhere and the remote teaching approach worked incredibly well, so I could go about my regular life as planned without making sacrifices on my LSHTM studies.
What were your favourite memories from your studies with us?
Being physically at the School for the first time was magical. By that time, I had interacted virtually so much with the School that it already felt like home. But only when I walked through the School’s building could I really feel the powerful legacy of this institution.
Needless to say, a postgraduate degree from LSHTM is a seal of quality and a door opener. But the degree itself wasn’t the most important part. The School changed my way of structuring my thoughts, of communicating, and taught me very practical skills along a broad horizon. That’s what truly changed my life’s path.
Do you have any advice for students/recent graduates?
Keep growing. Protect your intellectual hunger. Cultivate the humility to keep viewing your knowledge and experience merely as a fertile ground for more learning and growth to happen.